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Proofreading for postgrad student - advice please?

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  • 17-09-2013 1:45pm
    #1
    thesiren
    Registered Users Posts: 92 ✭✭


    Hi all, hope it is ok to post this here (feel free to move/delete it if it's not appropriate)

    I have a lot of experience in proofreading essays and dissertations for postgrad students in Dublin. I try and charge a very good rate and so far the people I've helped via proofreading have been very happy with my work and rates and things have worked out well. However in Jan, I was approached by someone whose first language is not English to proofread their dissertation. I agreed but in actual fact it transpired that I had to do a lot more than just proofread, because several chunks of text had to be rewritten so that the supervisor would be able to understand it.

    I was told that I would be paid 'extra' for this, a final price was agreed and after submitting the document I was paid less than half the price as 'a goodwill gesture'. Some months went by including the deadline for the dissertation to be handed in. I contacted the person, was told that the dissertation required yet more work (which I hadn't agreed to do) and that if I wanted the money I had to do this. I am not in the best position financially, and I thought it might not take me long to do the extra work so I agreed and submitted it. There was no contact for a few more months. So today I contacted the person and said that if I didn't get all the money (because clearly the work was fine - if it wasn't, why didn't they contact me?) I would go to their supervisor and explain the situation. I haven't done this but this is really bothering me. I went above and beyond what was required as a proofreader and I deserve the money that was promised to me.

    Has anyone ever been in a situation like this, and if so could you advise me what my best course of action is? I feel like I was totally taken advantage of, but I've done so much proofreading in the past and had no problems that I assumed this person would be genuine like all of the others.


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